Arab football fans are in raptures as Qatar moves closer to hosting the first ever FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and the Muslim world. Football is the most beloved sport among the Arabs and their passion for the game will reach the pinnacle when the mega event will be hosted in the Gulf state from November 20 to December 18.
Many events are being held in the Arab world particularly in the GCC nations to promote the Qatar World Cup where fans have shown their enthusiasm for the upcoming FIFA global showpiece.
For them, it’s a dream come true as the sport’s biggest show is being held in an Arab country for the first time in history. Many also believe that Qatar 2022 is the major opportunity for the Arab world to showcase itself to billions of fans all around the world.
The presence of four Arabian teams among 32 strongest sides from across the globe will certainly add colours to the tournament as a huge number of fans from these countries are expected to travel to Qatar to back their teams. Apart from the home side, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Morocco will represent the Arabs in the tournament.
Such is the passion among the fans of the region that two Arab nations – Qatar and Saudi Arabia – are among the top 10 countries where fans showed the biggest demand during the ticket sales as FIFA sold out almost three million tickets.
Not only for the host country, it will be a home-like atmosphere for Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Morocco also during the World Cup. Many Arab players, who feature for their respective clubs in Qatar are well followed in the country like Tunisian captain Youssef Msakni, who plays for Al Arabi.
While Qatar are eyeing to reach the knockout stage on their debut, Saudi Arabia will hope to advance beyond the Round of 16 stage. The Falcons reached the stage in the 1994 edition while Morocco will also look for their best ever World Cup show in Qatar. Their best achievement remains their qualification for the pre-quarter-finals in the 1986 edition.
Meanwhile, with 28 days remaining in the big kick off, Qatar is completely ready to host an outstanding edition of the FIFA showpiece, which is expected to be attended by around 1.2 million fans from all across the globe. Japan, who are scheduled to arrive on November 7, are expected to be the first team to descend on Qatar for the historic World Cup, to be held at eight state-of-the-art stadiums.
